Manufacturer of thermoplastic PP honeycomb cores for lightweight sandwich constructions.
TUBUS WABEN GmbH & Co. KG
Königsee OT RottenbachNew on Amplifa
About TUBUS WABEN
TUBUS WABEN GmbH & Co. KG is a plastics industry company located in Rottenbach, Thuringia, and manufactures plastic honeycombs based on polypropylene using modern industrial systems. The tubular honeycombs consist of a core of firmly interconnected, circular polypropylene cylinders and serve as semi-finished products for the production of sandwich composite constructions in lightweight engineering. Unlike conventional hexagonal honeycombs, they absorb force introductions from various directions and offer isotropic mechanical properties at a low density of 60 to 120 kg/m³. The company produces the honeycombs in three versions: uncoated, coated with polyester fleece, and coated with polypropylene film in combination with polyester fleece. In addition to cutting and thermal forming, the company operates an in-house technical laboratory for materials testing and its own development department. The products are used, among other things, in commercial vehicle construction, boat and shipbuilding, rail vehicle construction, automotive, transport/logistics, construction and wind turbines.
- Site
- Königsee OT Rottenbach
- Processes
- Production of plastic honeycombs (PP honeycombs with circular cells), Coating of the honeycomb panels (with polyester fleece / polypropylene film), Precise cutting of honeycomb panels, Thermal forming of honeycomb panels, Production of fiber-reinforced sandwich structures by direct extrusion (EFRE-funded, Testing of the flexural, compressive and shear strength of the honeycomb panels in the in-house, Cutting and customer-specific dimensions, Coating (polyester fleece, PP film)
- Materials
- Polypropylene (PP), Polyester fleece, Polypropylene film
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, Germanischer Lloyd product certification (shipbuilding), ISO 9001, Germanischer Lloyd (product certification shipbuilding)
- Founded
- 1999
- Employees
- 24
- Industries
- Commercial vehicle construction, Boat and shipbuilding, Rail vehicle construction, Automotive, Transport/Logistics, Construction
- 01
Polypropylene raw material intake
- 02
Production of PP honeycombs (circular cylinders)
- 03
Coating with polyester fleece or PP film
- 04
Cutting to customer-specific dimensions
- 05
Thermal forming
- 06
Materials testing in the in-house technical laboratory
- 07
Delivery
Materials and Processes
Polypropylene (PP)
Lightest plastic and hardest representative of the polyolefins; corrosion- and moisture-resistant, 100 % recyclable.
Polyester fleece
Coating of the honeycomb surface for finishing and preparation for further facing layers.
Polypropylene film
Coating in combination with polyester fleece for demanding sandwich constructions.
Location
Königsee OT Rottenbach
DEProduction and administration
- Materials
- Polypropylene, polyester fleece, PP film
- Modern industrial systems for honeycomb production
- Coating technology (investment 2010)
- In-house technical laboratory for materials testing
Components and Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of plastic honeycombs (PP honeycombs with circular cells)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene |
| Coating of the honeycomb panels (with polyester fleece / polypropylene film)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene, Polyester fleece |
| Precise cutting of honeycomb panelsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene |
| Thermal forming of honeycomb panelsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene |
| Production of fiber-reinforced sandwich structures by direct extrusion (EFRE-fundedPlastics | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene |
| Testing of the flexural, compressive and shear strength of the honeycomb panels in the in-houseTesting | – | – | – | – | Polypropylene |
Additional services
Quality
Production is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (TÜV, annual recertification audit); products for shipbuilding are certified by Germanischer Lloyd. In the in-house technical laboratory, a materials scientist tests the flexural, compressive and shear strength of the honeycomb panels.
| Evidence | Königsee OT Rottenbach |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| Germanischer Lloyd (product certification shipbuilding) |
History
- 1999
Founded as a production site of Tubus Bauer GmbH Bad Säckingen; production of thermoplastic PP honeycombs under exclusive license
- 2001
Certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000
- 2002–2003
Gradual takeover of the shareholder interests by TR Technologie-Fonds I Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld
- 2004
Establishment of an own development department
- 2005
Second largest manufacturer in Europe of thermoplastic plastic honeycombs; €4–5 million annual revenue with 24 employees
- 2006
Product certification by Germanischer Lloyd
- 2010
Investment in a new coating technology
- 2015
Production of approx. 500,000 m² of tubular honeycombs; only producer of PP honeycombs with circular cells in Europe